One Last Memento
by Turkish
Summary: Based on the movie Memento. This story takes place after he kills John G. at the beginning of the movie... Wait... Or is it the end? Or... Ah... Nevermind. (Updated)
1. Part I

1 One Last Memento  
  
……... Leonard looked at the blood on the floor. Leonard looked at the dead corpse on the floor. He looked at the glasses that had come of this man's head. He looked at the bullet casing on the ground. He looked at the gun in his hand. He looked at him. The man who murdered his wife, John G. He felt satisfied as he pulled the picture out of his Polaroid. He looked from the picture to the man. He shook his head.  
  
"No one can hide forever you damn son of a bitch."  
  
He patted himself down. He was looking for a pen. He was sure his memory was about to go and he needed to get this written. He patted all his pockets. No pen. No pencil. No writing utensil.  
  
"Damnit!"  
  
He began to rush back to the car but he felt something strange. A feeling of Déjà vu. Something didn't feel right. Wait no… Something felt too right. He felt overly satisfied with killing. He felt as if killing was easy but to his knowledge this was the first time he had ever shot a man. Or was it? He looked at the way he held his gun. He held it like an expert. It's not normal for a man of his trade to be so expertly trained in weapons. He looked at his hand right below the thumb. He saw a scar. He knew what it was. It was the scar of a person who had never fired a gun before. It was "a snakebite". The top of the gun comes back and cuts an amateur no matter how much they think they know. This didn't happen to Leonard. He already had a scar and now knew how to fire a weapon. He knew how to shoot. The shot he took on this man. It was a well-placed shot, not some erratic shooting by a beginner. He knew how to fire a gun. He looked down at his clothes. These were not his clothes. He never had anything like this, anything this expensive. He had killed people before. He had made others suffer the way he had suffered.  
  
"How many innocent men have I killed looking for this man?" Leonard queried himself  
  
"How many have I killed for the crime of murdering my wife?!"  
  
It was inconceivable. Could this not be the first time he had killed John G.? How many John G.s have there been? He looked at the notes on his body. The notes on the pictures. How did he know how old some were? How did he know if these people betrayed him or took advantage of his illness? How was he to know how many men had died by his own hands?  
  
"No!" he cried "NO! This is John G.!! This is the murderer! He's right here! He's dead! I can rest!" Leonard screamed  
  
Inside him something was telling him this was all a lie. That this was not the first time. He may have already killed the murderer or he may not have. His quest was endless. He kept killing. He became the monster that made him this way. He was now an emotionless killing machine  
  
"NO! THIS IS JOHN G.!!!" Leonard desperately screamed  
  
He looked around franticly. He had to find some sort of pen. He had to try and remember. He could not let more die. He could not let any more wives, children, or girlfriends somewhere know some raging mad lunatic killed their "John G.". This killing had to stop here.  
  
He kept looking at the dead body in front of him as he searched for anything to write with, even a sharp piece of metal to carve something on the wall.  
  
"This is John G. This is John G." he kept repeating to himself trying to give himself hope.  
  
"This has to stop here… This has to stop here." He chanted like in an apostolic church  
  
"Never again… No more killing." He said encouraging himself that this was the last time to ever kill for the same crime  
  
A flash of his wife right before she died flashed through his mind and he fell to his knees. He thought of he last breaths. He last minutes. He was helpless.  
  
He was on the ground clenching his head in his hands. He was frantic. He had nothing in his car to write with. Nothing was on this "John G's" body. No pens. No pencils. Nothing in this whole accursed house. He had now given up. He sat there, face in his hands.  
  
"This is John G. This is the end. I am finished. This is John G. This is the end. I am finished."  
  
……… "Where am I?" Leonard asked himself looking at his surroundings.  
  
He looked at the bloody corpse in front of him.  
  
"Who or… What is this?" Leonard wondered  
  
He got up and looked at the blood soaked picture on the ground near his feet. It was from his camera of the dead man in front of him.  
  
"This must have been important… Somehow…" said Leonard  
  
He examined the gun next to the body. He just looked at it. He didn't touch. He couldn't make out what the man looked like. He had shot him in the head. It was impossible to tell. He wondered how he had gotten here. He wondered why he had come here. He wondered why he had taken a picture of this man's corpse. All these things were going through his mind.  
  
"This must have been important." He repeated  
  
He saw his wife's final seconds in his mind. His fists clenched.  
  
"This must have had something to do with her death."  
  
He became angry. He was also tired. He thought it was better for someone else to handle this… not him… yet.  
  
"I may as well go to the cops. See what happened here. It may just lead me in the right direction." He muttered to himself  
  
He then walked toward the open doorway from the basement out over plastic wrapping on the floor and walked outside. He was in a dust driveway and pulled out a stack of photos. He saw the one with a black jaguar in the white square. It had "My Car" scrawled under the picture in black ink. He got out his keys and got into the car. He slammed the door and drove toward the police station.e He 


	2. Part II

Part II  
  
... Leonard was driving his car. He shook his head and smirked. "Why the hell am I going to the police?" he asked himself He knew damn well they would do absolutely nothing to help him. Probably even less than they did when he tried to enlist their help after his wife's death. He quickly jerked the steering wheel and turned. The screech of the tires interrupted his thoughts and then. the car stopped.  
  
..."Wait a second. Where was I going?" Leonard was confused. He found himself holding up traffic in his car. "Okay. so where was I?" He drove until he found an out of the way alley and pulled in. He then began shuffling through the photos in his jacket, as usual. He first came across the photo of the man with his face blown in. He cringed. 'Did I do this? I must have. But who was it?' He flipped the photo over once to see if anything was written on the back. Nothing. He then found Teddy's picture. He flipped it over to see the only words of interest. "He is the one. Kill him." Leonard knew this was all he needed. Who knows? Teddy may have been the one to have made him kill that other person. Who knew? Only one man. Teddy. Leonard then dug out another photo, the one of his hotel, The Discount Inn. He then put the car in reverse and backed out of the alley. He then drove toward the hotel. He walked into the lobby and saw the man behind the counter. He noticed the look of recognition. He knew he must have been here before. "Hey, Leonard." Said the clerk "Hello. I know I must be staying here." he said holding up the inn's photo "Yeah. you have Leonard." The clerk responded nodding his head Leonard noticed the look that usually occurred when he had told someone something before. "I guess I've told you about my condition." Leonard said smiling "All too often." Said the clerk "May I use your phone?" Leonard asked shifting his weight onto one foot and pointing at the phone behind the glass separating him and the clerk "Yeah, sure. I guess. You do have the one in your room though, Leonard" Leonard looked at him with an annoyed stare. "Yes, I realize that, but I'm in a hurry." Leonard then took the phone from the clerk and took the picture out of Teddy. He began to dial his number when the clerk interrupted yet again. "You just went out with this guy. You calling him again? One might think you're more than just friends." The clerk noticed Leonard's anger boiling at this. "He wasn't my friend in the first place." Leonard spat narrowing his eyes The clerk then backed off. Leonard dialed the number and put the phone to his ear. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Machine. He wasn't there. This was ridiculous. Did he skip town? Did he make Leonard kill that man in the photo and then skip out? Did he know I knew he was the one that killed my wife? Was he just some drifter making others do his dirty work? Leonard's head hurt more than usual. He got into his car and slammed the door. He then shuffled through his photos once again. He saw Natalie's. He shrugged. "Well maybe she knows something." He turned on the ignition and drove to the address on his photo. As he pulled up to the house he opened the door and once again slammed it...  
  
...Now what? Leonard found himself standing in front of a house. Someone here must have been important so, while letting his curiosity get the better of him, Leonard knocked on the door. The girl from his picture soon came to the door. She looked very surprised. She saw him and saw he was ruffed up a bit. He not only noticed a look of recognition but also of satisfaction. She knew something he didn't. "Natalie, am I right?" Leonard said "You saw me off your picture and that's worth a thousand words." "Do you mind if I come in? Ask you something?" Natalie was reluctant but opened the door. Once inside Leonard wasted no time. He pulled out the photo of a man with his face blown apart by a bullet, blood everywhere. He handed it to Natalie and, almost playfully, asked. "You know him?" Natalie grabbed the picture and stared at it. Her mouth then gaped open and she began to chuckle. "Well. you really did it memory boy. You got the fucker that killed your wife." "Is that who that is?" Leonard asked flatly "Look on your fucking picture. Look for Teddy." Leonard dug through his pockets and produced a picture with a man with glasses on it. Underneath was the name Teddy. He turned it over and read the words that mattered "He is the one. Kill him." He looked back up at Natalie. "Did you help me find him. or.? How did you know he was the one? And how can you tell it's him in the photo?" he asked now very agitated "YES! I fucking led you to him. I gave you a huge pack of info on the shithead. John Edward Gamble??? Ring any bells??? Wait. course not. You can't remember shit." "Yes. I know. I guess I told you about my condition." "Leonard.. NEVER tell me about your FUCKING condition ever again." Leonard was taken aback by the harshness of her tone and words. "Yes I led you to the son of a bitch." Natalie began as she inched over to her desk where she picked up a picture of her and another guy and ran her finger around the edge of the frame. "You see. He took advantage of you, Leonard. He told you MY BOYFRIEND was the guy who killed your wife. The one that had his way with her and killed her. You didn't know any better. All you knew was what you had written down and what you took a picture of. So he led you by the nose to Jimmy and you killed him. It was all about the drugs too. He used you Leonard. Now I used you. I used you to get that piece of shit off this earth. You really are a good investment, Leonard." She then turned around towards him. She pointed a gun straight at him. "That doesn't change the fact. YOU DID kill my boyfriend. So now, despite the favor you did me, I have to make your life a living hell." She pulled the trigger and the report of the gun echoed throughout the house. Leonard felt a piercing pain through his shoulder. He took his hand and felt the place where the pain came from. His hand came back covered in red. He looked at it and he then fell to the ground. It didn't feel like he was dieing. It just felt like another time when things just. fade.  
  
"Awake." Leonard awoke with a huge pain in his shoulder. He had tubes in his wrist and he was in a room of pure white. Machines were monitoring him. He was in the hospital. Why? He looked at his shoulder. He had a bullet hole in his shoulder. He wondered how that could have happened. A man then peeked into his room. He didn't know him. He wore a blue uniform with a shield on his breast. He was a cop. "I see you're awake, Mr. Shelby." The police officer said. "I guess I am." Leonard spoke hoarsely "Where am I?" "You're in the hospital. You got shot." The cop was just looking at him blankly. "And why is a member of the police department gracing me with his presence?" Leonard asked almost mockingly "Oh, because once you get better you're under arrest for murder of one John Edward Gamble. AKA Teddy." Leonard's eyes grew very wide. Murder?? He hadn't killed anyone. "This must be some sort of mistake!" Leonard cried desperately "'Fraid not. After you recover we are order to cart you off to jail." And then the cop walked out. Leonard was left alone with his thoughts. He knew he couldn't stay here. How did he get shot? Who did he kill? This was getting him nowhere and he needed answers. He quickly undid the tubes from his arms when the guard outside wasn't looking. He then let himself fall back limp on the bed. He began to twitch slightly and talk in a very scratchy voice. "Guard.." The policeman looked in the room. He saw he was having some sort of rapture. He looked and saw the tubes had come out of Leonard's arm. He rushed to pick them up from where they hung at the side of the bed. Leonard saw this and knew it was now or never. He jumped up from the bed and wrapped his arm around the cop's neck. He used his other hand to close the door. "Where are my things?" Leonard asked in a shaky voice Even though he could move around fine he was feeling a tad lightheaded. He held the man's neck very tightly. "In the small janitors room. Down the hall. To the left. Three doors down." The cop spoke as well as anyone can with an arm about to break their neck. "Is it locked? Is there a key??" Leonard asked franticly The cop held up a small key from his pocket. Leonard grabbed it then snatched the gun from the cop's holster. He then dragged him into the closet which was in the hospital room and blocked it with a chair. He checked to see if the coast outside was clear and then rushed down, unlocked the janitor's room door, and walked inside...  
  
..The door slammed. Leonard looked at his surroundings. A janitor's room. Why was he here? He was dressed in a hospital gown. He could feel a sore in his shoulder. He felt where the pain came from and felt a bullet wound. So he was in the hospital. He looked in the janitor's room. Why had he come here? He looked on a small table and saw his clothes and his pictures and his camera. He laid the gun down on the table and started ruffling through his pictures. He saw a picture of a dead man. No writing on it. He then looked at the gun. He didn't carry a gun. He looked out in the hall and saw a police officer. Were they after him? It didn't really matter. He needed to find out who this man was. He knew he had to get out of here first though. He then stripped off the gown and put on his suit. He slung his camera over his shoulder. He put his pictures in his pockets. Once all was back to normal he looked where he suit once was. A yellow folder sat on the table. It was thick and on the front it had words scrawled in black ink. From Natalie. Leonard looked through his pictures and found Natalie's. He then opened the packet, thinking it was something to help him. After all that's what his photo said. As he opened it he pulled out pictures. One was of Teddy's body along with a paper with his license and registration. His name was John Edward Gamble. Another was of Leonard standing over "John G's dead body." Another showed Leonard, himself, bleeding profusely from a wound to his shoulder. He then franticly turned the pictures over. Each had writing on them. It wasn't his writing. It was someone else's. The one of Leonard standing over Teddy's body had "You look proud of yourself." Scrawled on the back. And then there was a copy of the picture Leonard had of a man with his face blown in. On the back it read. "This was John G. Leonard. You can fucking rest now." Leonard was taken aback at all these pictures. He then saw three files. One was the police file from his arrest. He found he was arrested for a John Edward Gamble just like the driver's license accompanying the file said, as did the picture. Another was an unedited version of the case file from the investigation after his wife's death. And the last. was his wife's hospital record. There was a note in the packet too. Trembling, Leonard took it up in his hands and began to read it. "Hey Leonard, Sorry about shooting you and turning you over to the cops. It's what you deserve after you killed my boyfriend. But that's beside the point. Enclosed I gave you proof you killed the cocksucker that killed your wife. Actually you killed three people who you say killed your wife. One was from the original investigation. The unedited version of the case file showed that. You just blacked everything that proved that out in your version. Why? Do you like killing? You must. Because then you went on to kill my boyfriend. Of course it wasn't your entire fault. You see. you have this condition. Teddy knew this. He knew this and he wanted a score. He led you to my boyfriend, another infamous John G., and you killed him. Can I prove this? Yes. You're wearing, or by now maybe even driving, the proof. And then of course John Edward Gamble. I helped you, and used you, this time. Ironic isn't it. Everything came full circle in the end. And now you'll probably burn. Three fucker have died all for the same crime which none of them committed." The note ended on this side. Leonard, now perspiring with anxiety at reading this note, turned it over franticly. "That's right, Leonard. None of the three people you killed had anything to do with killing your wife. You still have to look for him. You have to look for him deep in the back of your mind. Why? Because you killed her. I read the hospital file. She overdosed on her medicine because she was diabetic. Didn't remember that, did we, Leonard? I'm sure this is coming as a shock but proof is in the envelope. Don't bother asking how I could get a hold of these files. When your boyfriend sold drugs you would be surprised at what favors one might accumulate. Well I guess that's all the news that fit to print, Leonard." And so the note ended. Leonard looked around the small room in disbelief. He tried to pick up the files and look in them but his hand merely fluttered above the folders. He didn't have the strength to see if the note was telling the truth. He looked at the bottom on the envelope one more time. He saw a coaster. It had been written on with a pen. It read. "Come by after- Natalie" Under it read an address. He quickly put all the information back in the folder and rushed out of the hospital, being very wary of the policemen swarming around the place. He emerged into the parking lot and the gun he was carrying fell from his sweat drenched hand.  
  
... "A parking lot?" Leonard looked at the door he walked out of and saw it was to the hospital. Why was he here? Once again he felt the pain in his shoulder. He felt the bullet. He then looked down at his hand and saw the folder. He stood and opened it. He pulled the note from Natalie out first this time. He read it once again with anger and fear. He then saw the coaster once more and was determined to find her. He had to know if this was truth or fiction. He then knew once again the cops were after him. He didn't remember having a car so he would have to improvise. He saw a man emerging from his car. Leonard saw his chance, picked up the gun, and ran to the man. He firmly pressed the gun barrel to the back of the man's head. The man instantly went stiff and stopped where he was. "Give me your keys." Leonard said The man, not in a position to refuse, handed him his keys. Leonard then opened the door to the car and started the ignition. He could see the man fall to his knees and hold his head as if he were crying as he rolled away, the wheels kicking up dust. He couldn't worry about that now. He drove like a maniac to Natalie's house. Outside when the came to a screeching halt, he looked around...  
  
... "A house?" Leonard read the letter once more. He did everything one more time and now saw he was at the address on the coaster. He strolled up to the door. Opened the first door then kicked in the next one. He was inside. Natalie came around the corner. "Hey, Leonard. You look like hell." She spoke smirking Leonard was not amused. "You damn bitch!" he yelled and struck her across the face once Natalie just laughed. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, Leonard? I'm sorry everything came as a shock to you. It came as more of a shock to me when you strolled into MY bar wearing MY boyfriends clothes and acting like nothing had fucking happened. Oh but you have this. condition. The laws of the universe stand still for you. Just because you can't remember it that makes killing right. Well I did what I needed to. I got you in the trouble you deserved for killing. The cops are going to find you." She said this while strolling up to Leonard. She walked right up next to him. Her warm breath blowing on his face. Her hair brushing along his nose. Her breasts rubbing against his body. She was smiling all the while. "And when they do." she continued "You can tell them how I turned you in because you took everything from me. My boyfriends. My drugs. My life." She could see Leonard building up with rage. "And now you, because it's ok for you to, are going to kill me. Well listen. You've killed too many people. I'll give you a break this time." Her hands traced up his side to his should and took the camera off his body. "I should probably use the same camera I used when I followed you when you killed Teddy." She said nodding her head to a camera on the coffee table. She then pried the gun from his hand. For some reason Leonard didn't resist. He was caught in a state of shock. She just smiled at him one more time. Then she put the gun in her mouth and extended the camera.. Then..  
  
BANG  
  
She had depressed the trigger on the camera and pulled the trigger on the gun at the same time. She had fallen to the ground, the back of her head open with a gaping gunshot and pouring with blood. She lay there, still with a smile on her face with a gun and a camera. Leonard bent down and picked up the camera with the undeveloped Polaroid protruding from it. He took it from the camera and kept waving it back and fourth to help it get developed. Once it was it came out to where she had a cloud of red exiting from the back of her head. It was gruesome. He then took the picture and took a pen from the desk in the house. He scrawled one word across the front. Natalie. He then put it in the envelope. He took up the gun and camera and put them on the table. He opened the envelope once again and took out the pictures of Teddy- The one Leonard had originally taken, his driver's license photo and information, the one of Leonard standing over his body, and the one that showed him with his head blown away. He put these pictures in his pocket. He put the gun and all the other pictures like that in the envelope. He then scratched out Natalie's writing on it and put "Take to safety deposit box." He then went out, took a picture of the car he now used, and got in, slamming the door..  
  
.."In a car.." Leonard looked and saw a yellow envelope. In his handwriting he had said to take it to a safety deposit box. He shrugged and put the car in gear and drove to the bank. He walked into the lobby, gave them his account number and all the other necessary information, and walked to the cage where they kept the safety deposit boxes. They opened it for him and he was left alone. He took the folder, which was quite heavy, and placed it in the box. He closed the lid and took it to the bank worker for them to lock it. They did so and put it back in its proper place. Leonard then walked out to his car. He looked at the pictures he had in his pockets. What he saw made him ecstatic. What he saw made him sure he could rest. John G. was dead. and he had proof. No more sleepless nights. No more trying to search for something he's not sure if he's found. He was done. He drove around town until he came to a bar. He got out of the car and slammed the door...  
  
..."A bar?" Leonard looked in his pockets and the only photos were that of John G. lying dead on the ground and proof of his identity. Leonard tried his best to hide his enthusiasm. "Well. might as well have a drink." Leonard spoke to himself He strolled into the bar; a man played a saxophone on a small stage. He had drummers and other instruments behind him but at the moment he played a solo, depressing tune. He sat down on a bar stool and knocked on the top. The bartender, wiping out a glass, walked over to him. "I'll have a bourbon." Leonard said smiling The bartender poured him the drink and sat it on a paper napkin in front of him. "You look happy. Celebrating something?" he asked as a good bartender does "Well. I just finished something I started an awful long time ago. at least I think it was long ago. I can't be sure." Leonard joked at his own condition "Well, cheers to you." The bartender said being very friendly Leonard took a sip of his drink. He just now considered the consequences of his actions. Of the time he's spent searching, even though he had no way of knowing how long that has been. He was alone. His wife was dead. John G. was dead. That was his reason for living. Killing. Killing the man that killed his wife. Now that he had done that. what did he have to live for? He was just as alone as the lilting tune the man on the sax was playing. "Hey bartender." Leonard called down the bar The bartender strolled to where Leonard sat. "Do you believe that when you close your eyes. the world will still be there waiting for you?" The bartender looked confused. "I guess so." "Good. Because if you ever become like me. that's the only thing that keeps you living." Leonard finished his drink and walked out to his car. He had proof he killed someone now. Someone was going to look for him. The police. The man's family. Someone. So now Leonard knew it was not a sure thing he would see tomorrow. He was prepared for the day when he closes his eyes. and the world isn't there to greet him. Leonard knew the day would come. It was just a question of when. And for him. time really wasn't that big of a deal. He had no idea how long he had been searching and how long he will have had revenge. What he had done in that time. He hoped that God would pardon him. After all. he had only killed one man and vengeance was needed. Justice had to be done. Other than that he knew nothing. Nothing except for could rest easy and hope that when the world did disappear from sight it would be replaced by the only thing more beautiful. his wife. 


	3. Author's Note

Author's Note (As if I haven't written enough)  
  
Well, due to popular demand, I wrote the second chapter to One Last Memento. Most people, whence writing reviews requested me to write a second chapter. To tell you the truth I had never intended to do so. The "He" at the end of the first chapter was originally a typo but now I think it was unique and interesting writing tool for this particular story because as one reviewer mentioned Memento was supposed to be a sort of "world without end." In that vein the "He" at the end insinuated there was something more and it didn't really end but no one really knew what was going to happen. Anyway. Well one day, whilst watching Jupiter Jazz (Cowboy Bebop for those who don't know) my TV messed up and started playing in black and white. I was at the scene where Faye was laying on the couch speaking to Gren and I thought it looked great in B&W (but I like B&W detective noir movies so that's not a surprise.) Then it immediately made me think of Memento. After all it had the black and white scenes in it. So after Jupiter Jazz part 1 finished I quickly began thinking up what I dubbed as part II. When I finished it the next morning I thought it was a little disappointing. But that was to be expected really. The first part was meant to stand-alone and portrays the thought process of Leonard. From the reviews I got it seemed I did a good job despite my own feelings about my work. The second part was written more to portray the plot and the events after the first part of the story. But of course the first part was isolated. What I mean is it took place in one small area. That gave me, as a writer, less need to keep writing about the new surroundings and focus on the characters instead. Now I will not blame any reviewers if I get some bad reviews. I didn't think it was as good either. Besides, my not writing another chapter close to the time of the first one built up the next chapter if, in fact, I ever did write one because it would be more anticipated. This is my own fault. But overall I hope the second chapter was at least a good fic, even if it isn't as good as the first. (note: Just to show you how I feel about it. I didn't think the first was that good either. I don't really think anything I write is good but you reviewers proved me wrong at least in the case of One Last Memento chapter one. Thanks for your reviews and encouragement.) 


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